CAQM revises its rules for curbs under Grap

The CAQM has revised the Graded Response Action Plan to combat air pollution in NCR, focusing on stricter vehicular emissions ahead of winter.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the National Capital Region (NCR) has announced that it has revised the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) — a set of wide-ranging emergency measures enforced over a short period of time to mitigate rising air pollution in the city.

Traffic on a haze-covered Delhi-Meerut expressway. (HT File)

The revised Grap curbs put special emphasis on curbing vehicular emissions – particularly buses and commercial vehicles. The new restrictions were finalised on Tuesday, officials said, and will be enforced ahead of the start of the winter season, when the yearly onslaught of toxic air engulfs the national capital.

“Moving forward with an aim to further strengthen the measures to combat air pollution especially ‘Very Poor’ and ‘Severe’ air quality stages generally encountered in NCR during winters, CAQM has announced revised Grap for the entire NCR. The revised Grap schedule will come into force in the entire NCR now and different stages will be imposed accordingly through specific orders issued from time to time as per the air quality conditions of the region,” CAQM said in a statement.

In addition, all inter-state buses from NCR states with emission standards of BS-3 or lower will be barred from entering the Capital, except for buses and mini-buses that operate with an All India Tourist Permit.

Earlier, there were no restrictions under Grap on the movement of interstate buses, while the other two curbs were part of stage 4.

Officials said the revised rules were formulated after a careful consideration of scientific data, stakeholder inputs, expert recommendations, and field experience and learnings over the past few years.

“Based on the dynamic model and weather forecast... actions under stages 2, 3 and 4 of the Grap shall be invoked in advance of the AQI reaching projected levels of that stage, provided also that the higher projected AQI levels are likely to sustain for periods of three days or more,” a CAQM official said.

Separately, CAQM has also introduced more stringent rules for the use of diesel generator (DG) sets. Other restrictions that have remained the same from previous years include curbs on construction and demolition activities in stages 2 and 3.

CAQM said the revised Grap measures can be implemented in NCR with immediate effect if the AQI crosses 200. “In such a case, just like previous years, a meeting will be held by the CAQM sub-committee on Grap, and stage 1 measures can be put into place if deemed necessary,” an official said, on condition of anonymity.